The Agora Ministry seeks to inspire & train laypeople in the marketplace to live out and proclaim the lordship of Christ over every domain of their life.
The Greek agora, or marketplace, was where citizens could meet to discuss issues of the day - ethics, life, faith and philosophy. A Ministry for the Malaysian church by CDPC. Subscribe To Agora Today!

Friday, September 29, 2006

"Md Asham fails to distinguish the difference between acknowledging an indisputable historical fact that the Constitution is secular in regulating inter-religious affairs and accepting secularism as a worldview or ideology. The adoption of a ‘qualified-secular’ framework for the Constitution to manage harmony between various religions is based on a political concept of fairness. In the words of John Rawls, “A political conception of justice is justified by reference to political values and should not be pressed as part of a more ‘comprehensive’ moral, religious, or philosophical doctrine.” Based on this distinction, Md Asham is mistaken in suggesting that I am pushing for secularism as a comprehensive ideology/worldview. It would help if Md Asham understands that one can uphold a secular framework for the Constitution without having to commit oneself to the ideology of secularism.

I have heard some Muslims argue that they cannot adopt such an approach towards framing political policy since Islam, unlike other religions, is a comprehensive way of life. In this matter I can only say – give credit where credit is due. The fact is that all religions (especially the major religions like Christianity, Buddhism and Hinduism) are complete ways of life. The difference is that leaders from the various religions, at least in the case of Malaya/Malaysia, have taken the way of overlapping consensus that requires one to refrain from insisting that public life must cater for one’s own comprehensive religious demands."

Monday, September 25, 2006

I know most of us will probably be too far away to attend this lecture. But I thought of posting it anyway for those interested in keeping up with Swinburne's apologetics.

Professor Richard Swinburne will be delivering a lecture this Thurs at Old College, University of Edinburgh, entitled, "Morality and God." Based at Oxford University, Swinburne is arguably one of the foremost modern Christian apologist, arguing in his many books and articles that the Christian faith is rational and coherent in a rigorously philosophical sense.

Here's the lecture abstract:

"The existence of God would make no difference to the fact that there are moral truths. It is obligatory to keep your promises and tell the truth; and good to feed the starving and educate the illiterate - even if there is no God. But the existence of God makes a great difference to what are the moral truths. Because he created us from nothing and keeps us in being with all the good things of life, God is our supreme benefactor. We have limited obligations to human benefactors; and so very great obligations to our supreme benefactor. Hence he can command us to do many actions which otherwise would not be obligatory; and his command will make them obligatory. He may also command us to do actions which are obligatory anyway, and his command will make doing those actions doubly obligatory. He may also inform us about what are the moral truths (e.g about euthanasia and abortion) which do not depend on his will, but which we are too biased or stupid to discover. Among his reasons for creating new moral obligations are to make us naturally inclined to do good actions (even when otherwise they would not be obligatory), and so to form a holy character."

Saturday, September 23, 2006

Adi wrote these brief appetising reflections on Total Truth: Liberating Christianity from Its Cultural Captivity

...a really good book (even if I have not finished reading it), which I think should be read by any Christian, whom Jesus called as the salt and light of the world. This book will help us to go out of the sacred/secular, private/public, or fact/value split, which has been dominating our world today--without us realising it--and has prevented us to let our faith speak to every aspects of life. As emphasized by the author, many Christians are satisfied with being a Christian in their work, and never bother to have a biblical framework on the work itself. Some perhaps have realised that it is not enough just being a Christian in their work, but they don't know how to craft a Christian worldview, a Christian philosophy, on their work. Hence it is the call of this book for all Christians to live out our faith in every areas of life, for in fact if we truly believe our faith to be the truth, then we will see it as a total world- and life-view.

The fact that we do not regard our faith as total truth--and so we lock our faith in a private compartment of our lives--runs contrary to the Scriptures. For if God is the Lord of all creation, then all creation--every single area of life--must bow to His Word. Furthermore, the Bible does not talk about the redemption of souls only, but also the whole creation. We, the redeemed people, are God's agents to bring redemption unto this world. If we truly believe that the Word of God shines upon every aspect of our lives, then, we should have a Christian philosophy of everything, yes, everything under the sun.

What really matters is then to have a correct view of our faith as a worldview, and to let it shape everything that we do. "The most effective work ... is done by ordinary Christians fulfilling God's calling to reform culture within their local spheres of influence--their families, churches, schools, neighborhoods, workplaces, professional organizations, and civic institutions. In order to effect lasting change, ... we need to develop a Christian worldview" (Total Truth, p.19).

Er, hope this doesn't spoil your weekend. Just a few thoughts on recent onversations here. If the justice/politics discussion has cooled, I hope we keep it warm (ok, not hot - point taken).

We tend to express appreciation for Christians involved in politics or the upper echelons of power. That's fine, but we should each play our role as responsible citizens who question abuse or misuse of power. You don't have to be in DAP nor a thinktank. Indeed, one John Chung and one Ong Kian Ming are enough .

One thing that keeps me going in raising political concerns in small ways is a consistent response I get from people I meet in 'activist' circles. When finding out I am a Christian, they often respond with surprise. Some have said, 'Oh, I thought Christians don't care about such things.'

That's right, those are the words: don't care. To some people, Christians appear as narrow-minded proselytisers who care for souls but couldn't care less about the real predicaments people face at the hands of authorities. Christians are timid folk who tend to fall in line with whatever the govmen says. This is a distorted view, but I think we've allowed it to cross peoples' minds.

It may seem too harsh to say we do not care, but it's fair to say that we often fail to care. Or fail to show that we care.

If we say and do nothing against injustice, then effectively we fail to show we care about justice. I often fail to care for the old and infirm, the depressed, the unreached soul. Of course, we do not need to overburden ourselves with the task of changing the world, which can also mislead us to think that being Christian means being good. We are corrupt, and prone to wander (as a beautiful song, Come Thou Fount, puts it).

James reminded us to share practical things we can as Christian citizens do. Here are some common, highly unoriginal suggestions:

1. Register to vote - and vote (www.spr.gov.my to check you're registered) 2. Get in touch with your MP, tell him/her your concerns 3. Write to newspapers, internet media to raise concerns 4. Spread the concern to friends and neighbours - make it part of Christian witness

The Bible never addresses justice - or love or grace or forgiveness - in relative terms. It is not enough for rulers to be more just or relatively just; in God's sight, they must be just, full stop. I believe we have sufficient knowledge and collective wisdom, and the guidance of Scripture, to discern just from unjust laws.

A judicial system should strive to be just (otherwise, why call it so?), and a democratic system should strive to be governed by the people.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

As the only US president reelected 3 times, Franklin D. Roosevelt led America out of Great Depression and World War II. Little known however was his valiant fight to overcome the effects of polio - a formidable battle the world never saw.

""Warm Springs" deals with the life of FDR from 1920-28. Warren Harding defeated James Cox in 1920. Roosevelt was Cox's running mate, and despite the loss his political star was on the rise. The following year, Roosevelt, then 39, contracted polio, a disease that rarely struck adults. It left him with paralyzed legs and little hope for the future.

With a small glimmer of hope, he traveled to a rundown resort in rural Georgia for a possible cure from exercise in a pool filled by the warm mineral waters. There, among the rural poor and others with disabilities, in what must have seemed like a completely different universe, FDR discovered his own humanity."

Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Thanks to Jason for informing us that the Belum forest reserve is being destroyed by large scale logging. The Malaysian Nature Society has launched a signature campaign to appeal to the government to put a stop to logging activities at the Belum reserve before its too late.

As followers of Jesus Christ, committed to the full authority of the Scriptures, and aware of the ways we have degraded creation, we believe that biblical faith is essential to the solution of our ecological problems.

Because we worship and honor the Creator, we seek to cherish and care for the creation.

Because we have sinned, we have failed in our stewardship of creation. Therefore we repent of the way we have polluted, distorted, or destroyed so much of the Creator's work.

Because in Christ God has healed our alienation from God and extended to us the first fruits of the reconciliation of all things, we commit ourselves to working in the power of the Holy Spirit to share the Good News of Christ in word and deed, to work for the reconciliation of all people in Christ, and to extend Christ's healing to suffering creation.

Because we await the time when even the groaning creation will be restored to wholeness, we commit ourselves to work vigorously to protect and heal that creation for the honor and glory of the Creator---whom we know dimly through creation, but meet fully through Scripture and in Christ.

We and our children face a growing crisis in the health of the creation in which we are embedded, and through which, by God's grace, we are sustained. Yet we continue to degrade that creation.

These degradations of creation can be summed up as 1) land degradation; 2) deforestation; 3) species extinction; 4) water degradation; 5) global toxification; 6) the alteration of atmosphere; 7) human and cultural degradation.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Malaysian Christians and churches are getting more and more affluent. We now have the capacity to spend millions of dollars to build physical structures that are architecturally superior even by commercial standard. Churches in the Klang Valley are packed with people. One can tell how rich the worshippers are by looking at the branded cars parked at the church compound. Of course, we do not need to feel guilty of being wealthy, unless the wealth comes from ill-gotten gain. It is a poor theology to condemn wealth.

But wealth often brings along wih it the sense of power and domination. Both the rich Christians and money-loaded church will face this temptation.

God's laws forbid us in using our wealth and position of authority to deny the poor of justice. Christians are called to show compasion to the poor, the marginalized.

Three groups of people are singled out in the OT (Deuteronomy 23:19; 24:6, 10-22) as most vulnerable for exploitation and marginalization - The foreigners, the fatherless and the widows. We read of news how the immigrants (domestic helpers & laborers) are being treated poorly. Some employers withheld wages that are due to them. Many have to work excessively long hours without proper food and rest. It is a shame if Christian employers treat these immigrants as if they are slaves.

It is even a greater shame if the fatherless, the destitute widows in our church have to borrow money from loan-shark to tie them over. It's a scandal for the modern church. God's words teach us how to help the poor and the destitute among us. When we loan the money to the needy brothers or sisters, we are not to make life difficult for them (we do not charge interest, we are not take collateral that deprives the debtor of their livelihood). We are not to rob them of their dignity (Deut 24:19-22). When we reduce people to begging for money or mercy from us, we are in fact taking away the most precious thing that God endows them with dignity of being made in the image of God.

The first century church took care of the poor and needy among them. We are told they did 'crazy things' like selling their lands and houses and brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need (Acts 4:34-35).

The first century Christians were also noted for caring for the poor in their society. Tertullian, the North African theologian, writing at the end of second century, remarked that: "The Christians gave to the fund which goes to support and bury poor people, to supply the needs of the fatherless, and of house bounf old people..." What they did is not new. They merely stood in the tradition of the OT prophets who called God's people to uphold social justice by sharing their food with the hungry, to provide the poor wanderer with shelter, to cloth the naked and not to turn away from their brothers and sisters when they are in needs (Isa 58:3-7).

There is a theological basis why we are to show compassion to the poor and oppressed (economically and in other ways) and to respect their dignity when we help them. Our kind actions are rooted in the memory of God's redemption and deliverance in our lives (Deut 24:18, 22). We were once poor and needy (financially and spiritually) but God has blessed us richly. We are now in a position to help, to share our financial resources. We must do so with thankfulness and gratefulness of what God had done for us. Exploitation, domination of the vulnerable and needy people put us at odds with God ((Deut 24:15). Worst, we betray ourselves as God's covenant community which is suppose to be faithful to God's commands

Friday, September 15, 2006

"If ours is an examined faith, we should be unafraid to doubt... There is no believing without some doubting, and believing is all the stronger for understanding and resolving doubt". Os Guinness, God in the Dark

"Any Christian in touch with thinking people outside the church must be saddened by the large numbers of people who claim to have "lost their faith". In my experience, many of them lacked little in terms of orthodoxy or experience but never understood why their faith was true. Caught with neither a foundation nor a framework for their faith, they found university level questions puncturing their sunday-school-level faith." (p. 82) Read On

...makes Buddhism the country's fourth-largest religion, after Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. Immigrants from Asia probably account for two-thirds of the total, and converts about one-third, says Dr. Seager, a professor of religious studies at Hamilton College, in Clinton, N.Y.What is drawing people (after that fascination with Zen Buddhism in the '50s and '60s)? The Dalai Lama himself has played a role, some say, and Buddhism's nonmissionizing approach fits well with Americans' search for meaningful spiritual paths.

"People feel that Buddhist figures like the Dalai Lama and Thich Nhat Hanh of Vietnam are contributing something, not trying to convert people," says Lama Surya Das, a highly trained American lama in the Tibetan tradition. "They are not building big temples, but offering wisdom and ways of reconciliation and peacemaking, which are so much needed."

Wednesday, September 13, 2006

In most Malaysian churches today, teaching on the Christian life is mainly through the pulpit ministry and by various education or discipleship programs. Discipleship is defined as living a life following Christ. Some education or discipleship programs are holistic, resulting in spiritual formation. Dallas Willard defined spiritual formation as character formation.

Unfortunately, many education or discipleship programs tend to be individualistic. The emphasis is on building a personal relationship with God only. Though this relationship with God many overflow into relationship with other people, it tends to be a very individualistic Christian spirituality. The relationship is “I and Thou” and the faith community exists only as the medium where personal relationship takes place. The teaching method for these types of discipleship programs are mainly instructional-schooling (content centred). Teaching may have occurred but one cannot be sure that learning has taken place. This discipleship programs are mainly designed for behaviour modification (teaching the right “Christian” behaviour) rather than character transformation. One measures the success of these programs by how their participant behaves rather than what character changes have occurred. True learning always involves character transformation. Therefore there is a need for all Malaysian churches an educational strategy that will be effective in character formation rather than church activism.

How do members of the Malaysian Christian churches, who are mostly Chinese, Indians and tribal ethics groups process their faith? Asian societies tend to be tightly organized, collectivistic, hierarchical, greater emphasis on social order and conflict avoidance and more concern with main-zi (face) and group approval. Should Malaysian Christian faith communities follow the same approach of a discipleship program designed in the West and tailored for Western Christians? Western discipleship programs tend to be more individualistic in their approach. This is an important consideration as many Malaysian churches are buying education and “discipleship” programs from the West especially the United States. These “discipleship” comes in ‘packages’ which includes a content book, study guides, leader’s guides, DVDs, music CD and sermon transcripts. What is worrying is that churches are using these programs wholesale without analyzing the underlying theological foundation and the fact that these programs are marketed at American Christians. Would it have the same impact in Malaysia where the thinking processes are different? Would the faith development of the Malaysian Christians be more rapid if the educational approach should be more community based rather than an individualistic? Would it retard our own education or discipleship program development? Would it give a distorted view of Christianity as mainly an “individualistic evangelical middle class superpower white male religion”? How does it fit into a multicultural, multiethnic and pluralistic Malaysian culture?

There is a need for an educational approach that takes into consideration character formation as its goal, the Asian culture of community rather than individualistic Christian spirituality, and is holistic in developing all aspects of faith development. Such an approach will be powerful instrument under the Holy Spirit as churches become learning communities.

While there have been many on-going attempts to develop an “Asian Theology”, there has not been any work done to develop an “Asian Christian Education”. Asia is a major growth centre for Christianity and there is a need for an indigenous contextualized Asian Christian education. Previous Christian education strategies have always been to fit an existing “Western” educational model into an Asian church. It is time to develop Asian or Malaysian Christian education model.

Sunday, September 10, 2006

Gubra comes across with a strong flavour of pluralism. It is done skillfully demonstrating from existential drama that despite the different 'forms' of religion, the pathos and aspiration of authentic religion are certain ethical universals that all mankind have. Now if all the differences in religion were merely in form, which it is not, such an argument would be complete and I would not have to add any more comments. Unfortunately though, the differences in the forms of religions, are many times symptomatic of greater fundamental differences. There is however a universal reality, fundamentals, universal truths, ethics, laws, humanity - whatever you may call it. And this is a reality that Yasmin has successfully called our attention to.

A great theme of the movie is that religion that is good should bear fruit in love and charity towards the loss and broken. I would add to this in a negative form that religion that does not reach out in love to the lost, disdained and sinful is useless to the human race. It beneficial to an elite few, or a huge class, but humanity as a whole should see it for what it is, an empire and not the hope of mankind.

The universal language of love, charity and the golden rule is a reality that all of us do indeed understand - and this would help us to live, learn and love each other despite our religious differences. It cannot however be taken further that it can possibly go, to mean that somehow all our religions are just different forms of the same substance. If religion is man’s attempt to get to God, then this is a collection of universals that transcend the specifics of religion –(1) man, (2) aspiration and (3) God.

But it is in the definition of the specifics, (1) like what is man? and (2) what constitutes a genuine quest of aspiration? or (3) who or what is God? where religions can differ greatly and must be evaluated and measured against reality where possible.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Yancey, Philip. 2006. Prayer: Does it make any Difference? London: Hodder and Stoughton.

Philip Yancey, author of best selling Disappointment with God and Soul Survivor, is a popular author because he puts in words, what many Christians are feeling but are afraid to articulate. He deals with controversial topics of living a Christian life with brutal honesty. Hence a book on prayer is most welcome. Prayer is the most talked about subject in Christian life yet least practiced. Yancey stated that to him, prayer is the area where two themes of struggle in Christian life meet: “Why God doesn’t act the way we want God to and why I don’t act the way God wants me to.”

In Part 1, Yancey developed the theme of who God is and who we are in relationship to Him. He also highlighted the fact that God wants to keep company with us. It is in this context that, Yancey developed his argument why we should pray. To him, prayer is a partnership with God which he developed in Part 2. God wants to partner with his creatures in his great redemption plan of the fallen present creation. Prayer then is a form of negotiation. Skillfully skirting the theological issue of whether an unchanging God can change His mind, Yancey explored the numerous passages in the Bible that God did changed His mind. He concluded that the underlying reason that God does change His mind because of love. “For God so loved the world…”(Dave: Some helpful discussions on such texts here and here)

In Part 3, Yancey explored the ‘language of prayer.’ Basically, this section is a ‘how to pray’ section. However I am glad he explored the silence of God in his chapter ‘the sound of silence’. For some reasons, most churches do not teach the fact that in a life of prayer, there are times when God does not seem to be present. Spiritual writer like John of the Cross talked about a dark night of the soul- an experience where God seems to be absent. One reason why this is not commonly taught may be that many Christians may not be able to accept the fact that God will voluntarily withdraw the awareness of His presence from us. However as many spiritual writers have attested, these dark nights are necessary for our spiritual growth. Another reason may be that almost all Christians are struggling with prayer (or time to pray). A God who seems absent may not fit into their theological framework.

Part 4 is the climax of the whole book. I was excited to discover what Yancey would say about two important issues for us who are struggling with prayers- unanswered prayers and prayers and physical healing.

Regarding unanswered prayer, Yancey wrote, “Some, but not all, unanswered prayers trace back to a fault in the one who prayers…to God’s mystifying respect for human freedom and refusal to coerce…to dark powers contending against God’s rule…to a planet marred with disease, violence and the potential for tragic accident.” What about the unanswered prayers not due to these causes mentioned? After 15 pages, Yancey concludes, “In the end, unanswered prayer brings me face to face with the mystery that silenced Paul: the profound difference between my perspective and God’s”. It is a mystery but that does not help those of us who are struggling with unanswered prayers.

Yancey seems to have struggled much as he wrote about prayer and physical healing. Earlier in the book he has noted the tremendous growth of the church in Nepal. “The first Nepalese became a Christian in 1950. Now the Church numbers more than half a million, and Nepalese church leaders estimate that 80 per cent of converts have resulted from physical healings…European and American doctors who work there as missionaries, and they admit they have no scientific explanation…David Aikman’s book Jesus in Beijing reports a similar pattern of apparent miracles in China.”

Yet, in his chapter on prayer and physical healing, he wrote, “Nevertheless, I do believe that what many people think of when you say the word ‘divine healing’-supernatural interventions in the law of nature governing our bodies-are extremely rare. They are miracles, not ordinaries.”

This is a brave and honest statement especially in the face of certain groups of Christians who claims that God performs healing on demand (just remind Him of His promises, that’s all). Earlier in the chapter, Yancey extracted an article which he co-authored with Dr. Paul Brand for Christianity Today. Dr. Paul Brand is well recognized as an authority on orthopedic surgery for leprosy patients and a well respected Christian.

In the article, Dr Brand remarked, “From my own experience as a physician I must truthfully admit that, among the thousands of patients I have treated, I have never observed an unequivocal instance of intervention in the physical realm. Many were prayed for, many found healing, but not in ways that counteracted the laws governing anatomy. No case have I treated personally would meet the rigorous criteria for a supernatural miracle.” This is an amazing statement from a Christian who has treated thousands of leprosy patients. I am sure he prayed for them. Not a single one got healed miraculously. They were all healed by conventional medicine. And this is in India, an underdeveloped country if anyone is to argue that miraculous healing occurs in only underdeveloped countries.

I believe Yancey wrote this because he has seen the “great damage that result when we presume upon God (for healing)”. Yancey’s approach is to review our prayers with a checklist before praying.-Am I expecting a miracle as an entitlement?-Am I using the benefits of God’s ‘common grace’-the healing built into our bodies and the medical knowledge we have gained?-Do I wrongly blame God for causing suffering?-Am I prepared for the possibility that physical healing may not take place?

I find this checklist fascinating and useful to check our inner attitude and our relationship with God before praying for healing. Yes, we are still called to pray for healing.

In any Christian bookstores, the shelves are full of books about prayers. This indicates that though prayers and praying is a common spiritual discipline, many of us have problems with it. I have enjoyed Philip Yancey’s book for three reasons. Firstly, he is an excellent wordsmith and it is enjoyable to read his writings. Secondly, this book is full of interesting anecdotes and reports about the Christianity in different parts of the world because he has a journalist’s instinct for seeing the big picture. Finally, he was honest about his struggle with praying and how much time he spent on it.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Praise God that students at Novous ministry and bloggers Discordant Dude, Jack said and BK (among others) have successfully graduated! It's a time of transition and vocation discernment - trying to follow Jesus in the marketplace. And wouldn't it be good to walk this journey with friends who face similar challenges? I'm glad that iBridge Camp this year is 'cross-generational' in while we focus on new graduates, we also work more closely with more mature folks at GCF. It's a good idea to share experiences and benefit from those who had tasted more salt in life :)

GCF Annual Conference & iBridge Camp 2006

Theme: Called to the Marketplace– Bridging the Gap between Faith and Work

Choon Wei posted some Independence Day reflections on what it means to be a Malaysian Christian. The Force is strong in this one :)

31st August marks another year for our nation to celebrate her 49th birthday. It is a celebration of independence, a celebration of national dignity and a celebration of growth from a helpless state terrorized by communism to one of the most advanced developing nations in the 21st century. Much had been achieved over the decades and today, Malaysia is the home of 25million people, of which 10% claims to be follower of Christ.

From the early days of church planting and reaching the indigenous by Western missionaries, the church of Malaysia has grown to maturity with indigenous leadership, learning to be self-sufficient and self-propagating. It has gone through various challenges and changes throughout the decades, and increasingly becoming a blessing for the nation and a player in reaching the world for Jesus Christ.

After many years of being a Christian since my conversion, and living in a multiracial and multi religious society as a minority, with a new identity of being "anak Malaysia". Born into a middle Class Chinese family, know my little Mandarin, having English as my 'first' language, deemed as one of the kafir dhimmi variety in Muslim dominated Terengganu, interacting with my fellow Malay and Indian brothers, watching MTV and Wah Loi Toi on Astro, singing hymns and sitting on pews, jumping up and down in Planet Shaker's conferences, adoring John Stott and the Pope, reading the success stories of Rick Warren and Yonggi Cho and going to mamak at the end of the church youth service.